Libyan Forces Fight ISIS in Sirt’s Coastal Giza District

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Nov 21, 2016

Fearing for civilians held by Islamic State group (IS / ISIL / ISIS / Daesh ) militants, Libyan pro-government forces are progressing cautiously house by house in their fight to seize the remaining territories in the coastal Giza district in the city of Sirte.

IS( ISIL / ISIS / Daesh ) took over Sirte more than a year ago, profiting from the chaos caused by power struggles among rival brigades of Libyan forces who once battled together to oust Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, but steadily turned against each other; AP reported.

Forces from the western city of Misrata, allied with the UN-backed government in Tripoli, have been leading the battle to oust IS from Sirte, helped since August by US air strikes.

But they have faced fierce resistance from snipers, car bombs and booby-traps as IS fighters dig in for house-to-house fighting in the last residential districts held by the militant group.

After facing heavy casualties at the start of the campaign, Misrata forces have increasingly turned to the use of tanks and armed vehicles to clear a path for ground troops.

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